ratchet-wheel
Definition
Noun: - A ratchet-wheel is a wheel with a series of teeth on its rim, designed to engage with a pawl (a pivoted bar or catch) to allow motion in only one direction or to lock the wheel in place. It is a mechanical component used in devices such as winches, clocks, and hand tools.
Usage Examples
- (The toothed wheel works with a pawl to ensure one-way movement.)
- (The wheel allows incremental tightening while locking against loosening.)
Advanced Usage
- "ratchet-wheel effect": a metaphorical term in economics or social sciences describing a situation where a process tends to move in only one direction (e.g., prices rise but never fall), similar to the mechanical one-way function of a ratchet-wheel.
- The ratchet-wheel effect in wages means salaries rarely decrease even during economic downturns. (Wages increase but resist downward adjustment.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ratchet (noun): the entire mechanism consisting of a ratchet-wheel and a pawl.
- The ratchet on the tool allows for precise adjustments. (The mechanism includes the wheel and the locking pawl.)
- Pawl (noun): the pivoted bar that engages with the teeth of a ratchet-wheel.
- The pawl clicks into each tooth of the ratchet-wheel. (The locking part that stops backward motion.)
Synonyms
- Cogwheel: a general term for a wheel with teeth (but not necessarily with a one-way function).
- Click wheel: an informal term for a ratchet-wheel that produces a clicking sound.
Phrasal Verbs
- Ratchet up: to increase something in a series of steps, often using a ratchet mechanism metaphorically.
- The company ratcheted up production to meet demand. (Increased gradually and steadily.)
Related Idioms
- One-way ratchet: a situation where change is irreversible or moves only forward.
- Technological progress is a one-way ratchet; we rarely go back to older methods. (Progress is unidirectional and cumulative.)